ALBUM REVIEW: Blanck Mass – Dumb Flesh

Where the first Blanck Mass album was a beatless, reflective affair, Benjamin Power’s second album (on the increasingly essential Sacred Bones label) is far more in-your-face; lead single Dead Format shares an edgy intensity with some of Orbital’s more anxious releases, likely to make you dance and panic at the same time. As is the norm for Blanck Mass, Dumb Flesh comes burdened with a rather clumsy mission statement about human frailty that’s best ignored – the tunes speak for themselves. Closing track Detritus is the obvious highlight, building from a shrill wash of noise to something uplifting and positively joyful across its eight minutes. Dumb Flesh isn’t perfect – it’s a little unfocussed in places – but it’s pretty damn good.